


Untitled Ficlet

by fireflysglow_archivist



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-09-28
Updated: 2003-09-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 10:04:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14470296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireflysglow_archivist/pseuds/fireflysglow_archivist
Summary: This is a future scene I wrote but have decided not to use     for In Unexpected Light my River/Mal and Simon/Jayne story. I figured why not share the moment anyway.





	Untitled Ficlet

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Firefly’s Glow](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Firefly%27s_Glow), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Firefly's Glow collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/fireflysglow/profile).

 

Untitled Ficlet

## Untitled Ficlet

### by Rachel
    
    
         This is a future scene I wrote but have decided not to use
         for In Unexpected Light my River/Mal and Simon/Jayne story. 
         So I figured why not share the moment anyway.
    
         Title: Untitled Ficlet
         Author: Rachel
         Email: raelee514@earthlink.net
         Summary: see above
         Fandom: Firefly
         Couple: Mal/River
         Rating: Rish
         Archive: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/writingpathways/ 
         Disclaimer: Not mine.  They belong to other people.  I just
         twist them.
    

* * *

Feeling satisfied that he'd earned his keep and the money promised him, Mal wiped sweat from his brow and rounded the corner to the Willard's house and stopped short. His satisfaction vanished in a heartbeat as he watched Travis Willard present River with a bouquet of wildflowers with a stupid grin spread on his face. River was smiling too this wide smile that Mal was sure he'd never seen before on the girl, though maybe he hadn't been watching close enough and his stomach twisted at the thought. 

He was finding new things out about her all the time, every day, and some were probably not so new. Just not seen by him when they were in their daily lives, living together but barely talking on Serenity. He really hadn't spent enough time with her. She was part of his crew, one with a lot gifts and intelligence to offer him and he'd ignored her. And now there she was, smiling at some kid who didn't know a thing about life but had handed her flowers. 

He scowled at the flowers and walked up the steps to the porch, hitting the kid in the shoulder with his own, his eyes landing on River's face. Her smile faded. Her eyes widened and she looked at him in that way she had, where you knew she was looking right into you. He felt bad for making her smile vanish but not for purposely slamming the kid with his body. He just couldn't and her eyes narrowed at him and he glared back. He wasn't going to apologize, River held his gaze for a second and then looked away. She knew it too and Mal made his way into the house, pausing just inside the door trying to decide if he was relieved or upset that she was letting it be. 

"Travis, has never been this way about a girl before. I didn't know he even knew how to woo..." Mrs. Willard said from the other side of her kitchen. 

Mal looked up, saw that she wasn't looking at him at all and following her gaze saw she had clear sight of them from the window. "Woo?" 

"Oh, he's wooing. So much like his father too, Eli was all shy and sweet like that with me." 

The image of Travis standing in River's space, with flowers up her nose flashed through Mal's mind and he frowned. "He don't seem that shy to me," he muttered. 

Mrs. Willard eyes flew to Mal then and he met her gaze, not hiding his scowl and made a decision. "We are in your debt, ma'am. You and your husbands. The help finding good and quick-paying work so we can get to some civilization to wave down my ship. The roof over our heads at night. But you better be making sure that boy of yours knows River isn't in the market for any courting." 

Mrs. Willard's face fell and she looked back out the door. "Be his first heartbreak." 

"Heartbreak don't kill no one," he said under his breath as he made his way to the staircase. His foot was on the bottom stair when Mrs. Willard stopped him. 

"Captain Reynolds, you won't be telling her to stay away from Travis will you? I mean, I'm supposing his heart has to be crushed sometime, but it be nice for him to enjoy his time with her, until you two have the money for the train to the big city" 

Mal laughed. He couldn't help it because he knew the reaction he'd get from River if he told her to stay away from the boy. She'd tell him no, backed up by reasoning he'd find himself hard pressed to argue with. It wasn't worth it, as much as he'd love to have call to keep her away from the boy. "Sorry, ma'am, not laughing at the thought of your son's impending heartache. Which is impending, I must say. But, I ain't got no call to tell River who to talk too. And she'd tell me as much, so not going to tell her to stop spending time with him." 

The door opened then and despite himself Mal turned to see them walk in. Only River walked in alone, her nose buried into the flowers and her face all bright because of them. Because of that boy. "They need water," she said to Mrs. Willard, her voice sounding faraway and dreamy. 

"They are beautiful. I never knew Travis ever saw them out in the meadows." 

River smiled. "I love all the colors, purples, reds and orange and pink." 

"Well, let me find something for you to keep them in," Mrs. Willard said and turned to one of her cupboards. 

"Right, wouldn't want them to wilt," Mal added then not sure why he was still standing, his foot on the bottom stair. He should have just left when River walked in. He definitely didn't like seeing her all happy over a bunch of weeds some boy had picked for her. He didn't like it at all. 

He walked into the spare room he'd been given and took off the sweat dampened shirt focusing himself on getting cleaned up a bit before supper. He moved a basin of water into the center of the hand made bureau in the room and filled his hands with it. Splashing his face but as he moved back up he heard the door creak open. He could smell her, she smelled like sweet hay of the farm, it's dirt and the earth. She'd been working in them all day, after all but there was more to it. A strong scent that was simply River and overwhelmingly familiar to him. 

"Travis is nice." 

"He's nice enough, for a kid." 

"He's my age or older, makes him twenty or so." 

"Like I said, a kid." 

"He's shy." 

"So, people keep saying." Mal reached for a cloth and dabbed it in the water, trying to focus on cleaning up. Washing around his bullet wound, knowing so far he'd just been lucky in warding off infection from the lodged bullet. He just needed to focus on anything but River and that boy. 

"He picked flowers for me." 

"That he did." 

"It bothers you." 

Mal continued washing off his wound as he thought about what to say. It did bother him that was obvious. He didn't really know why though and he turned toward River and was blindsided. It was getting to be old hat, her blindsiding him with her a smile, her eyes. This time it was everything, she was beautiful. She was in a soft off-white sundress, Mrs. Willard must have given to her, and it fit her perfectly. Nothing was hiding the fact she was a woman, a beautiful woman. Too beautiful for some kid to have. "Yes, it does," he admitted. 

"I don't understand it, it doesn't make sense, Captain." 

Mal couldn't focus all he could do was feel. She was way too beautiful for that kid to have. Too special for some nave farm boy who hadn't found himself a sweetheart before twenty to deserve. 

"Captain?" 

"Don't you know?" Mal asked. He dropped the cloth and walked over the door. He pulled her completely into the room, by taking her arm gently, and closing the door with his foot. "Don't you know?" 

River shook her head and reached out with her hand and almost pressed her palm to Mal's cheek. She stopped short of touching him, but Mal could feel the promise of the touch. 

"It doesn't work how you think," River whispered. 

"We're leaving," Mal said, realizing he had no way to explain to her what he was feeling. 

"That's the lie you told his mother." 

"It's the truth." 

"It's not the reason." 

"River," Mal said, his voice low, she was so close to him. He had her pressed against the wall next to the door, almost trapped. His hand wrapped around one arm and the other pressed against the door, her only avenue of escape. But River didn't notice or wasn't afraid. Instead she just stood, looking at him with confusion but patience. Waiting for him to help her understand what was going on with him. 

"That boy don't deserve to give you..." Mal whispered, trying to explain but he trailed off as his eyes fell to her mouth. Her lips were slightly parted and it made him lose his train of thought. Because he didn't want to talk, instead he closed the distance between them. Pressed his mouth against hers, her palm fell onto his face and her touch was solid and warm. He moved both his hands to her waist, and pulled her into his body. He continued to kiss her, fiercely and he opened her mouth his tongue. River moved with him, following his lead, a hand falling onto his chest as the other remained on his face. He gripped her tighter and pushed her against the wall and pressed his body against hers. His hands moved to her hair; soft, wild hair, and he kissed her harder. He hungered for more. Everything that had been building inside of him had become clear and Mal let it overwhelm him. 

Desire. Want. Passion. He wanted River. He wanted her for himself and didn't want anyone else to have her. He pressed her against him, and she responded to his kiss the way he wanted it and it felt so very, very right. She was so warm, so solid and willing too...his to take. 

Mal eyes flew opened. The epiphany hitting him hard, too hard. And with it all the consequences and all the reasons he'd fighting the feelings. He stepped back and let go of River, pulling strands of her hair with him. She stared at him looking bewildered, and completely debauched. Her lips bruised from the kiss, her skin glowed pink, the straps of her dress had fallen off her shoulders and her breath was ragged. What had he just done? He was hard and he'd had her pressed against him, as close as he could get her. She'd almost been raped barely a week ago, what the hell was he doing? Special hell didn't cover where he was going when he died. He couldn't take someone like River into his bed. He shouldn't even want her, she wasn't...he wasn't supposed to want her. There was some reason for it he couldn't remember though, because it didn't feel right to not want her. He almost lunged forward again, looking at her looking so damn beautiful but averted his eyes away from her. 

"Get out." He hated his voice, it was rough with desire and he had to ignore it. He couldn't do this, not with River, no matter how pleasant it felt. He could still feel her pressed against him. He had to get her out of the room, if he looked at her, he knew he'd lose his sanity again. 

"Please, River. Get out," he repeated when she didn't move. He turned his back to her and crossed the room to put more distance between them. He'd hurt her, he was sure of it, more than he probably already had. She had to leave, so he could cool off and remind himself of why she wasn't someone he could have. If felt like forever but finally he heard the door creak open and close shut. Disappointment and relief flooded him as he collapsed onto the edge of the bed. What had he almost done? 

#### If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Rachel


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